“Times are different. We felt like the London series with Kiefer [Sutherland] was a momentary punctuation mark for that character,” executive producer Howard Gordon said Sunday at Comic-Con of Jack Bauer’s journey. “[24: Legacy is] really a creative launch.”

“We all felt that Kiefer had told his story with Live Another Day,” he continued. “Fortunately, Kiefer read the script [for Legacy] and saw it after we shot it and loved it.”

Gordon added that Sutherland, who serves as an executive producer on 24: Legacy, has been “behind” the new show.

The creative team was careful to note that 24: Legacy is a continuation, not a reboot, though at the moment it features all new characters, led by Corey Hawkins.

Executive producer Manny Coto explained that the show is an “expansion of the 24 universe,” adding that 24 favorites like Jack, Chloe and others “are still out there” and very much “alive.” “You never know when those worlds may intersect once in a while,” Coto said.

24: Live Another Day ended on a cliffhanger, with Jack’s fate up in the air. The producers were optimistic they’d get the opportunity to close out that story, but fans will have to wait.

“We’re not planning that right now,” Coto said, adding that “we all want to finish that story.” As for how confident they feel that they’ll have the chance to wrap up Jack’s story, Gordon was hopeful, saying, “The stars have to line up.”

Hawkins said his character, Eric Carter, “really is a new hero for a new day.” While there are similarities to Jack Bauer, he is a different take on the 24 hero.

“He has his flaws and over the course of the season he’s going to be forced to make morally questionable decisions in the same way Jack Bauer did [except] he’s a soldier,” he said. “The rules of engagement are different on the homeland.”